1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal recording apparatus wherein a sheet of recording paper is supported adjacent to a recording head having a row of heating elements and these elements are heated electrically and on the basis of information concerning a given image. This heating transfers ink or dye from an ink layer of a transfer recording medium to the sheet of recording paper. If the sheet of recording paper is of the type which contains a color developing medium the heating results in an image directly formed on the sheet. A linewise image is thus formed by the row of heating elements. The same operation is repeated while the recording paper is moved in a direction substantially perpendicular to the row of heating elements, thus effecting recording over the entire surface of the sheet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the increasingly wide use of the thermal recording, there has recently been a rising demand for a technique allowing images of higher density to be obtained. In general, it is possible to enhance the density of reproduced images by increasing the number of heating elements that constitute a recording head so that the pitch of the heating elements is made as small as possible. However, if the number of heating elements is increased, the production cost of the recording head rises and the interference of heat between the heating elements increases. There has therefore been a restricted ability to achieve higher image density.